Why Do We Game?

It’s 4pm. I’ve been counting down the hours, hell, the seconds, since before 1. Only an hour left now, and I’m braced for it to be the longest of my life. Wait, let me check…nope, no black holes; no time travel. Looks like I’m stuck with the usual taunting tick tock of the clock. Should I work out today? Nah. Dinner? Pshht. Girlfriend? Lol. (Funnily enough, almost all of us actually have these. I promise, they’re real!) With each passing second, dreary hope fades, and an exciting new reality slowly starts to seep in. It’s actually getting closer to 5.

4:58…4:59…BOOM we out. Speeding my way through the clusterf**k of traffic, winding between lanes, tearing through red lights, all with no regard for pedestrian safety…and I’m home. I take a minute, check my heart rate…120? Good to go. I bust open my front door like a boss, kick my dog out of the way, take precisely three long, confident strides to my fridge, grab a Dew, snag some fruit snacks, vault over the back of my couch, and finally say those magical words: “Xbox on.”

(Note: no pedestrians or dogs were hurt in the writing of this blog post. I love my dog, my girlfriend, and I don’t even drink soda. Fruit snacks are delicious.)

Why do we game? Is it for the simulated glory of a 360 air-assassination on a corrupt Catholic official in 15th century Florence? Is it so that we can finally be the ones to score the winning touchdown or that last second goal? Is it for the experience of having to survive against insurmountable odds, all while sitting in the comfort of our own homes? Simply put: yes. There are so many reasons we gamers do what we do. For me, it’s the simple aspect of being able to see my friends now that we’re miles and miles apart. For me, every night’s a party, and if you’re logged on, you’re invited. It’s my way of not only keeping in touch, but of hanging out with my friends as if we were all still living together back on campus. This alone is more important than any achievement or K/D. It’s even more important than what games I play! I’ll have what they’re having, thank you very much.

So, why do you play? What keeps you coming back night after night? Leave a comment below and let us know! The gaming community is a strong one; passionate, intelligent, clever, fun as all hell, and downright strange. But I love us, and I’m so glad to play my part. Hear hear.

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2 thoughts on “ Why Do We Game?”

I’ve always told people that the reason why I don’t read fantasy books is because I play video games. I good video game will take you to another world, and for those few minutes, or hours, you can forget you are on the couch. I can remember playing Final Fantasy VI as a kid and spending hours reading the strategy guide like it was a Game of Thrones novel. I play because that feeling as never left and as long as I have that feeling I will continue to game

Sorry for just getting to this, but I agree completely. I love fantasy and sci fi novels, but more the idea of them then their actual reading. I’d love to of course, but I always find myself back in Skyrim or Dragon Age or what have you instead. It’s just so easy to get involved in a game when it has enough lore and story to fill its own novel. Instead of just reading it, you live it and experience it first-hand. The Elder Scrolls games in particular have always been able to sweep me away to their world with their in-game libraries and literal tomes of knowledge, all devoted to their world’s lore and back-story. Such good stuff.

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